Sharjah able to bring down fire fatalities to zero with awareness
EMIRATE’S CIVIL DEFENCE REPORTS 75% REDUCTION IN FIRE INCIDENTS IN 2021
Awareness campaigns by Sharjah authorities have helped reduce fire incidents in the emirate drastically. While 74 incidents were recorded in 2021, 130 were recorded in 2020, as compared to 299 in 2019, thereby marking a 75 per cent decline in such incidents. The Sharjah Civil Defence department recorded zero deaths in the emirate last year due to fire.
Sharjah Civil Defence also got two innovative products registered under intellectual property rights, namely Training with VR (virtual reality) and a Thermal Suit with sensor, becoming the only one in UAE to achieve this.
Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence, attributed the success to the efforts of the Civil Defence department in taking all necessary measures and mobilising the required resources and deploying state-of-the-art technologies to ensure rapid emergency response through qualified firefighting cadres, concerted action and teamwork to help achieve the goals of the General Command of Civil Defence.
Col. Al Naqbi noted that Sharjah Civil Defence followed best practices, in line with global standards, including deploying latest technology to ensure the best possible levels of control, security and alarm systems.
Sharjah Civil Defence has responded
The department has also linked all commercial and industrial establishments in the emirate to the Civil Defence Operations Room.”
Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi | Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence
to emergencies in a shorter time span than what standard protocol demands. The department is currently working hard to achieve the fastest possible response time to reports of fire by increasing the number of fire stations in the emirate’s vital areas. The response time in 2019 was 5.4 minutes. In 2020, it dropped to 5.1 minutes and last year, it was 4.86 minutes. Sharjah Civil Defence have set a target to achieve a response time of four minutes this year.
Currently, there are 13 Civil Defence stations in the emirate, including four points (smaller operating units). Four new stations entered service in 2021. These new stations are in Kalba, Al Dhaid, Maleiha and in Sharjah Industrial Area. One more fire station will be opened in the Al Raqeeba area this year.
“Fire spreads quickly, so it calls for a quick response. The department has also linked all commercial and industrial establishments in the emirate to the Civil Defence Operations Room to alert firefighters and pinpoint the location of a fire for faster response,” said Col Al Naqbi.
Tough inspections
As many as 559 establishments were fined in the emirate and another 1,324 establishments were issued warnings by fire-safety inspectors. Establishments that have been issued warnings need to approach the service centres at Civil Defence offices and prove that the issues on their premises have been rectified. Civil Defence is currently coordinating with authorities concerned, including Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah Economic Development Department and Sharjah Survey and Planning Department for this purpose.
Col Al Naqbi attributed most blazes to faulty electrical appliances and overloading of power supply [which causes short circuits in transformer cables], negligence, improper power connections and damaged electrical cables.